1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thin film silicone elastomers and methods of manufacturing thin film silicone elastomers.
2. Description of Related Art
Most handheld electronic devices, such as cellular telephones, camcorders, cameras, computer-based digital cameras, CD and MP3 players, PDA's, remote controls, notebook computers, tablet PC's, video games, video game controllers, hair trimmers and shears, and a wide variety of other handheld electronic devices, including carrying cases and pouches for these devices, have housings that are made of hard, smooth materials, such as plastic and metal. Although some of these devices include hand grips and/or small rubberized components, they typically do not include any anti-slip material over a large portion of their housings. This is a problem, because when a user handles one of these devices, the slightest amount of mishandling can allow the device to slip out of the user's hand, which can lead to the device being dropped and damaged. In addition, when these devices are placed on a table or other surface, such as the dashboard of a vehicle, they are vulnerable to sliding or being knocked off onto the floor or ground, which can lead to breakage or permanent damage.
Most handheld electronic devices have housings that are made of hard, smooth plastic or metal. The front faces of these housings usually include ornamental shapes and designs, but the rear faces are typically plain and smooth. Often, the rear, side, and bottom surfaces include switches, buttons, and access ports for receiving interchangeable components, batteries, and carrying cases. These switches, buttons, and access ports leave exposed joints, seams, and grooves. Flip-type and swivel telephones also include integral plastic and metal hinges and swivels.
In addition, many of these handheld electronic devices are configured to fit on top of other components or into accessory components, such as caddies, cradles, chargers, docking stations, computer monitors, carrying cases, and clips. When coupled together, there is usually very little clearance between the device and the accessory component. As a result, it is not possible to place a thick, anti-slip material directly onto the device, as doing so would prevent or impede the device from properly mating with its accessory component.
In addition to adding anti-slip functionality to handheld electronic devices, there are many other applications in which anti-slip functionality is desired. For example, in the printing industry, it is desirable to have rollers and other paper handling components that have high gripping capacity and that are highly durable. There are countless other material handling examples across many other industries in which it is desirable to have durable, anti-slip functionality.
Also, many applications exist in the sport and recreation industries. For example, many sports require the use of handheld equipment, such as bats, rackets, paddles, sticks, and other devices with gripping surfaces. In these sports, it is usually desirable to have anti-slip functionality associated with this equipment. In addition to handheld equipment, there are many sporting and recreation applications in which it is desirable that there be anti-slip functionality between a users clothing and his equipment.
Although there have been significant developments over the years in the area of producing thin elastomers, considerable shortcomings remain.